New Regency battles ‘Virulents’

Horror film set in the Middle East

New Regency is taking the current wave of pics set amid the war and terrorism in the Middle East and adding a twist: vampires and zombies.

It’s optioned the Virgin Comics title “Virulents” and set John Moore (“The Omen”) to direct the adaptation. Pic will be distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Story, to be adapted by John Cox (“Sergeant Rock”), revolves around a ragtag group of soldiers who search for a lost patrol in Afghanistan. The soldiers, some from an American military unit, some from an Indian military unit, stumble into a nest of vampire zombies. It will be produced by Gotham Chopra and Sharad Devarajan of Virgin Comics, along with Seth Jaret and Moore.

“Virulents” is “set in a part of the world that has a long history of myth and mystery, and it’s going to rock,” said Chopra. Deal continues an effort by Regency to focus on pics with youth appeal. Regency has wrapped production on “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” the Doug Liman-directed “Jumper,” the Alexandre Aja-directed “Mirrors” and the Eddie Murphy starrer “Starship Dave.” Regency is in production on the Cameron Diaz-Ashton Kutcher comedy “What Happens in Vegas …” and Keanu Reeves starrer “The Night Watchman.”